Chicken Little & Scammy Sammy

Once upon a time Chicken Little had a timeshare to sell. It had been on the market for months when low and behold one day he got a phone call from Sammy Salesman: “Have I got a deal for you!” Sammy declared. Sammy promised a quick sale of the timeshare (within 60 to 90 days) for an upfront fee of only a few hundred dollars. Chicken Little was hesitant, however, to jump to a snap decision after the whole sky-falling fiasco.

“The sky is not falling,” Sammy Salesman said, “you know that and I know that, but the buyer on the other line does not know whether you are serious about selling your timeshare, and he is waiting on your answer right now.”

“Well gee, Sammy,” said Chicken Little, “I just do not have that kind of cash on me to pay your fee.”

“No problem!” said Sammy. “You can charge the fee to your credit card over the phone.”

And with that, Chicken Little whipped out his wallet and made the second worst decision of his life. He did not get his timeshare sold, and he had given out his credit card information. Scammy Sammy had the funds faster than Chicken Little could cry fowl.

Do not get your credit plucked by fraud. Look for red flags like:

Promise of Results

Upfront Fee

Pressure to Act (caller on the other line)

Credit Card Charge Over the Phone

Furthermore, you should initiate the call, not be on the receiving end to start the transaction.

If it looks too good to be true, look for red flags or call an attorney. Just because a deal is risky does not mean it is not worth the risk, but you need to be aware of the risks.

You can check on businesses through the Better Business Bureau www.bbb.org or Federal Trade Commission www.ftc.gov or your attorney.